Vanilla: Moonlight

Moonlight marks the return of UK-based producer Vanilla after a two-year break. Giving the record a spin will show just how much refinement has been put into the artist’s now trademark style of jazzy hip-hop. Moonlight is the type of record to play when you need to study, have a nice talk with friends or simply lay down and chill. The album is incredibly smooth, atmospheric, even plain gorgeous at times. It carries a special air of magic few releases possess, and the fact it all feels so effortless makes going through these 19 tracks a very rewarding experience.

Moonlight is mainly a hip-hop album, but that’s selling it short. The cuts borrow heavily from Jazz, Soul, Funk, Electronic and other genres. The title track’s smooth percussion and eerie piano is a fine example of the mixture of styles found in Moonlight. Visions, Cold Outside and Keep On, as most songs, are led by a familiar, straightforward hip-hop beat with Vanilla adding the more exotic bits during the breaks. Pieces like Rise also focus on synth production to achieve a smooth, atmospheric vibe.

Vanilla’s greatest achievement with this release is how incredibly well all the cuts come together, resulting in a remarkable music album, instead of a collection of scattered tracks. Moonlight is a captivating experience from start to finish without being too flashy, a rare quality in today’s musical landscape. This one’s a must for fans of hip-hop and smooth instrumentation alike.